Quiet Strength
by Moonshayde
Summary: Shau'ri reflects on her life and her time with her husband, as she tackles her destiny. MissingExtended scenes from Children of the Gods, Season One.


Author's Notes: Has anyone else felt Sha're was lacking in the show? I wanted back that strong, proactive woman from the movie. I wanted Shau'ri. This is my response.

_Disclaimer: Stargate, Stargate SG-1 and all of its characters, titles, names, and back-story are the property of MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Productions, SciFi Channel, and Showtime/Viacom. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author. This story cannot be printed anywhere without the sole permission of the author. Realize this is for entertainment purposes only; no financial gain or profit has been gained from this fiction. This story is not meant to be an infringement on the rights of the above-mentioned establishments_

* * *

He taught me many things, my husband. 

I knew he was special from the very first day he was brought to us. I had never before seen someone like him. Only were there stories, from when I was a young child, of peoples of fair hair and light skin that lived among the stars. I had loved those stories, ones that my mother had told me, as we listened to the gates rattled by the sandstorms.

They stayed with me through my cycles, and as a memory to my mother after she entered into Duat, I kept them close to my heart, and served my father, as it should be. I learned that I should not speak my mind and that the ways of written stories were forbidden.

Ra is all knowing and all seeing. Surely, he would bring destruction upon us all, my father had said.

But then he came from the stars themselves. A sign from Ra. Or a sign of something better.

I remember my father telling me the strangers' presence was an omen. If we did as Ra willed, we would pass his test. If we did as he forbade, fire would rain upon our cities.

I could not understand, not as I was then, or any time before it. We toiled and worked hard for Ra's light. Why would our god harm us in this way?

I had wanted to know more, to understand the strange markings that we held buried in the city. I learned much before my father punished me.

But it was only years later that I learned more. Learned from my Danyel.

He taught me the ways of my ancestors and of his people. Together, we learned and studied the history of Nagada and the other settlements of my tribal kin.

My Danyel opened up a part of my heart that I was not allowed to show to the world. He told me that I did things for him that I would never understand.

I understood. My husband left his place among the stars to stay with me. He said good-bye to his friends, to his home, to remain behind and teach the people of freedom from Ra.

But he did not just teach. He heard me. He listened to me.

No one had ever listened to me, not even my brother Skaara. I knew my place, but I did not agree with it. For all the love they gave me, they never let me be. My husband, he listened to me speak. He listened to my dreams.

I told him things that I could not tell my father and that I could not tell my brother. I told him the things that I could not tell the elder women of our tribe.

I would lead my people. I would show them the way.

Danyel held surprise over my conviction, but only at first. Not long after, he came to me, encouraged me.

I would stand with my husband and we would teach _our_ people.

I will still teach my people. We will still teach them.

I will not allow for it to end here.

* * *

Sha're opened her eyes, allowing her vision to adjust to the lighting before she swept her gaze across the room. It was filled with many people, people that she had never seen before. Danyel had told her stories about the peoples and customs of his "planet." He had told her he thought there must be other planets that held peoples of the stars, as well. Sha're wondered if some of the women here were from stars far away. 

They were scared, as was she. They had all been taken from the large room, where she had last seen Skaara, and had been dressed in robes of wealth and luxury. Now, they waited. They waited for the man to come and take them away.

Sha're was no fool. She understood that these were signs of horrible things to come. She knew that when Ra ordered tribute from her people and the other nomadic groups that lived outside Nagada that often people were sent with the stones.

Sha're also knew the people, often children, never returned.

Her mother had told her the stories, the stories of people that were punished for their beauty and their wit. Courage was not something that could be afforded.

_I know it hurts you so_, her mother had told her. _But be patient. One day the old ways will be gone, and you will be free in both mind and body._

Sha're knew. She had humbled herself many times, even as daughter of the leader of their tribe. She did as her father told; she deferred to her brothers. She kept her silent teachings to herself, and she did not tell her closest sisters of the burning she felt deep within her bosom.

When the strangers came and helped expose Ra the Deceiver, Sha're felt that she had been woken from a long slumber. On the first moon cycle anniversary of their victory, not long after the farewell of the warriors from the stars, the first public lesson of writing had been given by both Sha're and her husband. She had felt that on an occasion such as this, on a day of peace and happiness, she should honor the one that gave her the will to live through the hard cycles of her life. Sha're would give praise to the one that embodied serenity.

It was that day she had changed her name. Shau'ri took on the name of her mother. Shau'ri became "Quiet Strength." Shau'ri became Sha're.

Danyel had been so proud of her.

But Sha're knew that to honor her mother justly, she could no longer be Quiet Strength. The time of peace had ended. Summoning her courage, she laid down her mother's name and reclaimed her name of action. She stood before the women.

"I am Shau'ri of Nagada," she announced. "We have been taken from our homes, from our families. We have been taken by those that wish to deceive us and enslave us." She paused, calling upon any strength that she had left, fueled by the knowledge that if she succeeded, she would see her father, her brother, and her husband again. "We cannot remained seated and do nothing."

The women listened to her, but Shau'ri could see they did not hear. Shau'ri could not accept this. They had to be strong; they had to be brave.

"My people—we defeated the one known as Ra. He took us from our home, long ago, and made us his slaves. The warriors from the stars came and taught us to fight. We must fight! If we are to see those that we love, we must rise against those that wish us harm."

Again, it was as if the room was in deep slumber. Angry, Shau'ri tried again, speaking in both the language of her people and that of her husband. It did not seem that anyone had been moved by her words.

But she noticed the one. A woman with fair skin was watching her. Her hair was like sunshine and reminded Shau'ri of the other woman that had come back with the warriors. Shau'ri had determined that the women of Danyel's tribe were not like her own. They were strong and firm, much like she wished to become one day.

Shau'ri watched the woman closely and spoke again. "Do you wish to go home? Do you wish to see your families?"

"To be chosen by the gods is a great honor," a woman said from some place in the back of the room.

Danyel had taught of her of "aliens." She knew the truth of Ra. And if there was no Ra, there could be no Apophis. It meant that all their tales, the wars of the gods, were not as they seemed.

They could not be treated as things. They were people.

"We are not pretty things that cannot think. We are strong, as are the peoples from the stars. If we join, if we fight, we can return to our homes!"

"She's right!" said the fair woman. "Next time those jerks come to the door, we rush 'em! Then, we find a way out of here and get ourselves home."

Shau'ri's heart soared. The woman understood even if the others did not. She approached her, both excited and amazed. "You speak Englesh?" Shau'ri now not only felt strong, but also hopeful. "You are from the stars?"

"I'm Sergeant Ann Patterson, United States Air Force."

Shau'ri had heard of Air Forces from Danyel and his friends. Could she be from his people?

"We will fight," Shau'ri told her. "We will-"

Shau'ri's words were interrupted when the doors opened. The man and the others had returned, come to take another and make her disappear. Shau'ri clenched her fists and bit down her anger as she saw the man choose a young girl. The young one cried but none of the others moved to help her. Shau'ri began to step forward, but was held back by the fair-haired woman.

"Wait," she whispered.

Shau'ri sank down onto one of the cushions, watching helplessly as the girl was taken away. The others in the room did not seem to care, or maybe they were relieved it was not them. Why did they not fight?

"I cannot sit and do nothing," Shau'ri muttered.

"We have little support. We can't just bust out, the two of us. They'll use that thing again." She sat down beside Shau'ri and lowered her voice. "We wait until one of us gets nabbed. Then, from the outside, we'll break lose and come back and free the rest."

Shau'ri considered the woman's words, but she still remained feeling unsettled. Though she talked like the women of Danyel's people, and appeared to be strong, Shau'ri could see the fear in her. It was a different fear, a kind of fear Shau'ri knew could hurt them more than help them.

Shau'ri frowned. "I do not like this."

"Me either. But—"

The woman stopped, her gaze fixed somewhere over Shau'ri's shoulder. Feeling uneasy, she turned her head and glanced back to the doorway.

The man was watching them.

She froze.

He knew.

Shau'ri tried ignoring her thoughts and her fears over the man, watching him as he left with the girl. She and the fair-haired one must succeed.

For an amount of time Shau'ri could not read, they waited, watching the women be taken but never return. The two of them remained at different places in the room, as to not make their plans known, but continued to make occasional eye contact. Even so, Shau'ri was beginning to feel more and more alone. She knew not of the fate of her people, nor her husband and his people.

She did not even know if any of them lived.

Shau'ri was taken from her thoughts when she heard the doors open again. The man looked at her, his face unreadable, before his gaze shifted to the woman named Ann Payttersen. Inside, Shau'ri stiffened, knowing that their futures rested in the victory of this woman.

"Where are you taking me? I'm a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. I demand to know where you're taking me! Let go!"

_She will return_, Shau'ri thought to herself. _She will come, and we will be free._

Ann Payttersen ever came back.

Shau'ri found herself sinking into a state of despair. The woman of Danyel's people had not returned. Was there no hope behind those doors?

Shau'ri sniffled, sitting alone in the corner of the room. Danyel should never have unburied the Chappa'ai. Danyel was selfish. Danyel placed his mind before people, before her. He should not have unburied it. Was he not happy to be with her? Had he planned on returning to the stars one day?

She hated Danyel. Her husband was to blame. Her father had been right. The strangers were omens of bad things to come.

For the next few minutes, Shau'ri sobbed. But the anger and the pain could only last so long before they turned into sadness and then numbness. She sat, quietly, considering what she could do. Maybe the guards would not notice her. Maybe there was a way out that she could not see.

Shau'ri might not be like the pretty and strong women from Danyel's people, but she would not be taken. She would find a way.

The sense of dread returned when the man and his guards opened the doors. Shau'ri swallowed hard, eyes cast away, as she kept her back to them. She needed more time to plan a way to find her brother and then get home to see if her husband and father had lived or died.

She sobbed, gasping as she felt the man's eyes on her.

"You."

As the guards stepped forward to grab her, Shau'ri cried out. "No! No!" She fought. She kicked, and she pushed with everything she had within her. She remained vocal and lashed outward to the men that wished her harm as she was carried away to the place where the women did not return.

There, inside, waited another man. No, he was a demon. A pretender. A deceiver. He stood, eyeing her in ways that made her feel dirty.

"No!" she cried again.

"Come," he said in a voice that reminded her of Ra.

"No! No! No!" Shau'ri knew for certain why the women did not return. Shau'ri saw the coldness in this demon pretender's eyes.

Shau'ri used her teeth as her weapon and bit one of the guards.

The deceiver mocked her. "This one has spirit!"

Shau'ri saw the device again, as the pretender brought it in front of her. Against her will, she felt her body loosen, her mind give way. She almost forgot where she was and why she was there, giving into the pleasurable numbness the device gave her.

But when she felt his cold eyes on her again, and she was lifted onto the table, Shau'ri felt her mind coming back into focus. She knew the man was watching, along with the other guards who had taken her. She could hear their words, but not make them out. And she felt it.

A demon itself. The creature, possibly the "alien" Danyel had told her about once long ago. There were more; now she was sure. She had seen for herself. The alien creature of Ra was not alone—there were more.

She gasped as she saw the snake-like creature with its snapping and pinching mouth slither across the surface of her bare skin. Then, before she could fully understand what was happening to her, she was flipped onto her back. The demon came closer to her, closer to her neck…

Shau'ri chose to block it out. She did not want her last memory to be of these evil men.

She thought of her Danyel. She allowed her mind to wander through her memories, picking out one that would carry her through this moment, if this were to be her end.

_The fire from the candles created deep caverns on his face, a place where the light and shadow could dance freely amidst the evening sky. She smiled and touched his cheek before removing the battered glasses from his face. Quietly, she rubbed her thumb over his bottom lip._

_"Why did you stay?" she asked him._

_Her husband seemed surprised or embarrassed by the question. "Because of you."_

_She nodded, but could not help the sly smile from reaching her lips. He could speak her language well, but still could not grasp some of the nuances of the speech. Some of his words sounded amusing to her ears. But that was not her concern this night. She flicked her nail over his upper lip, eliciting a soft "ow" from him._

_"Why did you stay?" she asked again. Before he could reply, she shook her head, asking him for allowance to continue. "Do you not have ones you love?"_

_Her husband shifted, moving beside her, and wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head on his shoulder. "I have no kin. I have nothing. All I ever had were my ambitions and my need to prove myself right." He laughed. "It's ironic that now I have all the proof in the world, er, universe, and I can't share it."_

_Shau'ri did not fully understand what her husband was trying to tell her, but she could see it was important to him. She took his hand. "Why not go back and show this proof?"_

_"No one would believe me."_

_"I believe you," she said lightly._

_She heard him chuckle. "Yes, you do."_

_Smiling, she reached up and ran her fingers through his long hair. Playfully, she rubbed at his scalp, releasing some of the sand that had been caught near his roots. "Why would no one believe you?"_

_Daniel suddenly became quiet and for a brief moment, Shau'ri feared her husband had a terrible past. She tried not to show fear or to appear upset. Instead, she kissed his hand, offering him support._

_"Uh, I…" Her eyes were trained on him, waiting for him to pass through his hesitation. "I wasn't taken too seriously there." When he realized that she did not understand, he licked his lips and tried again. "I, um…People didn't like my ideas. They thought I was…like my grandfather. That I…I was ill of mind."_

_Surprised, Shau'ri pushed away, turning to face him._

_"Which isn't true," Daniel quickly added. "Not true at all. Not in the slightest. At all."_

_Shau'ri brought her hand to cover her mouth, hiding her grin over her husband's needs to reassure her. She might not have known him for long, but Shau'ri knew he was not sick of mind. She had seen for herself._

_"You stay for me and because you have no where to go?"_

_Daniel shook his head. "No. It's hard to put into words, even Abydonian, but…." He took a moment to search for the right words. "I belong here. I feel like this is where I am supposed to be."_

_"This is where you should be," she whispered._

_"Yes." He touched her face. "The truth is, I don't have the need, nor the want, to prove myself to them anymore. I--" She could feel the heat wafting off his body as he stumbled over his words. "I have you. We're together. Here. That's all I need."_

_Grinning, she leaned forward and kissed him before she wrapped her arms around his neck. "That is the right answer."_

_He laughed, a good healthy laugh. One blessed with life. The laugh made her happy, knowing she had made him happy, seeing as he had experienced such a hard time since he had arrived._

_"You keep me sane," he said softly. He kissed her on the cheek. "You always listen. You never judge." He passed a small, bashful smile. "You never let it all go to my head." _

_She felt herself blush. But he continued._

_"You're strong. You're brave."_

_"Me?" She pushed him teasingly. "You amuse me, husband."_

_"You."_

_It was in the way he said that word that made Shau'ri realize he was serious. Stunned, she said nothing else, allowing for him to continue._

_"I've never had anyone listen to me before, someone who was really interested in what I had to say. Or, someone that could show me something that I had seen a thousand times, and teach me how to appreciate it in a number of different way, ways that I'd never thought of before." He reached over and cupped her face. "You're not afraid to fight for what you believe in. You, uh, you taught me that."_

_She found it difficult to speak for she had always felt the same of him. "Danyel…"_

_"Teach me." He approached her, guiding her down into their bed of blankets and pillows. "Continue to teach me."_

Shau'ri held onto the memory, the sensations of her husband's hands on her body, his lips caressing her skin, the two of them happy, intertwined, as she blocked out the terror she felt as the creature nipped at her neck.

She shook, holding onto her Danyel. She would give anything to see him again, to embrace him, for the two of them to happy.

The nipping…pain…

She screamed and was plunged into darkness.

"Danyel!" she cried out through the blackness, the fog, as the pressure pushed her down.

But her husband did not answer. Instead she heard _her _and her mocking laughter, teasing her and scolding her for her foolish wants and desires. And as the laughter increased and the darkness waned, Shau'ri found herself living a nightmare, moving and being without living.

_Your husband is dead,_ it said to her. _Dead._ _And if he is not, we shall find him and bring him to us. If he resists, then we shall kill him together._

_No!_ Shau'ri screamed back. _No, you will not take him from me…_

Shau'ri ignored Amaunet's laughter and fell back into herself, into her thoughts, and into her newfound determination.

No, even if Danyel no longer lived, even if he had crossed the rivers of Duat, Shau'ri would not stop fighting. She would fight against her demon. She would fight for her brother and for her people. She would fight for the memory of her mother. And she would fight for the love and honor of her husband, her dear Danyel.

But for now, she would remain Sha're, Quiet Strength, watching and waiting for her time to be set free once again.

THE END


End file.
